The present invention relates to farm implements and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for notifying the operator of a farm implement during an active seeding exercise that the farm implement is traversing a previously seeded area of a farm field.
Seed, fertilizer, inoculants, and the like are typically applied to a farm field, or other planning surface, using an air seeders or similar agricultural implement. A conventional air seeder includes an air cart that includes one or more hoppers and metering devices to hold particulate material and meter the particulate material from the hoppers for subsequent delivery to an air hoe drill or similar device for ultimate application on the farm field by row units.
To keep pace with the increasing in field sizes, air seeder manufactures have designed and made air seeders having larger hoppers and air hoe drills with greater field coverage, i.e., more row units. While larger air seeders with greater field coverage in a single pass, the larger equipment proves to be difficult when attempting to seed/fertilize a smaller piece of land within a larger piece of land, or a piece of land with an irregular shape. As a result, the cost expended on seed and fertilizer is in excess of what is necessary for proper seeding and fertilizing. Additionally, over-fertilization and/or over-seeding of an area causes the crop to lodge and not ripen at the appropriate time causing harvest problems and losses in yield. The accumulative effect of the seeding and fertilizing overlap in small sections over many fields can become a very significant expense to a farmer.
Prior art implements have sought to remedy this situation by implementing a metering device in the seeder than can apply a specific quantity of seed per linear distance. However, the prior art has not resolved the problem that double seeding can occur when the land seeded is too narrow or odd shaped for the seeding device. Further, the prior art has not resolved the problem that even though the meter has been turned off, ground-engaging openers are still engaging the ground and destroying the seed bed. This causes the seeded area which is overlapped to be destroyed by the ground-engaging openers resulting in uneven germination causing further problems with a poor crop and an uneven harvest in these areas.
Canadian Patent 2,503,174 provides for a multi-compartment air seeding system where each compartment is assigned to a selected air stream based on the volume or type of seed and fertilizer required for a specific crop. A metering assembly is provided which comprises a metering house 80 for receiving the seed or fertilizer material as well as a metering roller for metering the material. Metering cells then collect the material for seeding. Diverter plates are also provided to move front and backwards to open and close the tops of either the front and rear material cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,163 further provides a distribution manifold for an air seeder for dispensing product. Further, it provides by-pass ports and venturi ports, with the venturi ports making up the row of ports in which product from the product tank associated with the primary distribution manifold is to be deposited. The by-pass ports make up the remainder of rows in the primary distribution manifold. If the venturi ports do not make up the top row of ports in the primary distribution manifold, product from the associated product tank flows through rows of by-pass ports until the product encounters a row of venturi ports. Following entering into the venturi ports, product is carried by the pneumatic distribution system to the tillage. This device promotes a smooth flow of metered product as well as allowing the operator to adapt the pneumatic distribution system for varying configurations.
Although both of the above prior art devices disclose air seeders that allow for metered seeding or fertilizing, neither of the above devices disclose a device that is both able to selectively obstruct a portion of the meter, as well as lift the corresponding ground-engaging openers, thus, preventing double seeding and the destruction of the seed bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,440 discloses an apparatus that purports to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art described in the aforementioned Canadian patent and U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,163. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,440 describes an agricultural seeder or fertilizer having a meter device which dispenses seed or fertilizer to a plurality of ground-engaging members. The supply of metered seed or fertilizer to each of the ground-engaging members is controlled via input from a GPS/GNSS satellite navigation system to prevent the meter device delivering seed or fertilizer to selected of the ground-engaging members which would otherwise pass over soil which has been previously seeded or fertilized. Raising means, responsive to input from the GPS/GNSS satellite navigation system detecting that the device is travelling or is about to travel over areas of soil that has been previously seeded or fertilized, is further provided to raise the selected ground-engaging members to which delivery of seed/fertilizer has been prevented in order to prevent soil which has been previously seeded or fertilized from being disturbed.
While effective in preventing double seeding, the system described in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,440 and similar automated systems remove control of the seed metering system and raising/lowering of the ground-engaging members from the implement operator when the automated system determines, based on inputs received from the GPS/GNSS satellite navigation system, that the implement is traversing previously seeded land. While an automated system provides surety against double seeding or engaging a disc opener with seeded land, some operators may prefer that the metering system and/or tool bar to which the disc openers are mounted not be automatically controlled.
Consequently, there is a need for a system that notifies an operator of an implement that the implement, or parts thereof, is crossing in or out of already seeded or fertilized zones, which allows the operator to smartly, but manually control the seed metering system and/or tool bar to prevent repetitive seeding and/or fertilizing as well as prevent disturbing previously seeded/fertilized land.